Which of the following best describes the type of democracy present in colonial America?

The type of democracy present in colonial America is best described as limited democracy. In the colonial period, many individuals were excluded from the political process based on factors such as property ownership, gender, and race. Voting rights were primarily granted to white male property owners, which restricted the ability of the majority of the population to participate in governance.

While there were some elements of democratic practices, such as town meetings and colonial assemblies, the overarching political structure favored a limited number of participants. This created a landscape where political power was concentrated among a small group, distinguishing it from a full democracy, where all citizens would have equal voting rights and capabilities.

In direct democracy, decisions are made directly by the populace rather than elected representatives, which was not the case in colonial America. Representative democracy does involve elected officials making decisions on behalf of the electorate, and while some aspects can be seen in the colonial assemblies, the limitations placed on who could vote preclude it from being classified as representative democracy in the full sense. Thus, the correct characterization of colonial America's democratic practices is that they exhibited a limited form of democracy.